Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Marylin Pluth live in San Leandro I’m a homemaker
in the process looking for a job haven’t worked for 4-5 years. I’ve been
staying home and taking care of my daughter so now its time to get back to
work. I like to garden and to get involved with the school. I seem to be very
interested in what goes on in the City of San Leandro because I’ve been a
resident here for probably 25 years and I’ve seen the changes and I’m happy
with how the city is progressing.
What do you love about San Leandro?
I like this town
because it gives you that small town feeling but its in the middle of the bay
area and close to everything. From San Jose to up north Marin its really a
great place to live and I’ve grown up in the area all my life, I’m from San Jose
actually and I’m married my husbands name is Don my daughters name is Michelle
and she is 12.
Bought our first house on Begeir Ave and then Lee avenue and
then on Brie so the time spent here we’ve been pretty happy, nobody really
knows about it I mean it's starting to change a little bit but it's been a
really pleasant place to live and as the years have gone by and I’ve gotten to
know the people I basically feel like there is an interesting community here.
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| Fairmont Ridge on 7/30/15 by Marylin Pluth |
People are warm and friendly and yet there are some very
strong political view points and I want to say they’re conservative yet
somewhat liberal. I find that I meet interesting people here that are very attuned
to the community and want to help the community and either I gravitate towards
that or you know there’s just a lot of people like that.
One of the things recent has been the “black lives matter”
project and this town has its interesting moments about that, I’m finding its
very interesting to be involved in that and to see the reaction of the people
in the community, there’s a lot of openness but there’s a lot of.. like
everywhere there is a lot of people with concerns and backlash to the black
lives matter movement. I’m a pretty down
the middle of the road person I just am trying to see what’s fair for everybody
and what’s best for everybody and I find it interesting that I’ve joined
something like this because I’ve got enough things to do in my life but it just
means a lot to me. I would like to break this barrier between blacks and
whites. Having conversations and discussing what’s really going on and make
resolve it somehow or I don’t know just to start having conversations about it.
I think this town can handle it.
They are allowing a pot distributor to move in which I am
happy and surprised, I am glad that they are open minded. The city council has
really changed over the 25 years I have lived here.
The first 10 years I
lived here people asked me where San Leandro was, I had never heard of it
growing up in San Jose it's not just a town that is on the radar. Now it's
going somewhere.
San Leandro is just a pleasant place to be, we have bought 3
different houses here, we could have moved away and tried Berkeley or somewhere
else, but we like it here.
Daughters School
She has been going to the schools in San Leandro but now she
is going to a charter school in Oakland. Its just opened up last year its an
interesting school because its full of technology, its basically everything is
done on the computer online, its set up on a google class room situation. Google
has really zeroed in on how to create this classroom world for students and
teachers and its really interesting. It’s a lot like a corporate office would
work, yet these kids have mastered the use of computers within a years time
really well. From the time they’ve started until now is incredible they know
more than us now.
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| Sunset on eight, twenty-one, twenty-fifteen |
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| A natural laser light show. Fairmont Ridge 7/30/15 |
You take a lot of photos and you post them on This is San Leandro,
thank you.
I don't know what got me into it. I took film in college,
communication and broadcast video. I have always enjoyed photography. These
camera, these phones make it so easy I am amazed at some of the pictures I get
myself. My brother-in-law said that I have an eye for things. I was happy to
hear that. I see the sun setting and go, Oh, I have got to get in the car go
somewhere and find a location. I make the excuse of walking the dog, but I am
trying to get to the sun. The formation and the clouds we have been getting,
maybe the fire unfortunately has had the skies really nice. I keep looking up
and going Wow, look at that.
Are they all taken on your phone?
They are all on my Samsung phone, every single one. I never
really do anything to the photo to change contrast or the brightness I might
crop it. but usually its left the way it is.
This is one of my favorite images, tell me about it?
This was up on Fairmont Ridge, I go up there a lot and take
pictures. There is this bench that is all by itself. My daughter and I were
walking the dog, I was just slow, I wasn't keeping up with them, I saw them sit
down, then the sun came out through the clouds I thought it was so great. The
camera darkened the landscape, it came out perfect.
I love the mood.
I really appreciate your comments and the opportunity to
showcase the photos.
Thanks for being out and taking so many photos, they are not just of
Fairmont Ridge, you go everywhere
I try to, I keep saying where do I go next. I keep saying I
should try something other than landscapes, but it's that that captures my
attention. I was at the marina last night, I forget there are boats there, you
forget those area if you don't hang out there. It really was pretty.
You have a luck dog!
I guess so, he enjoys it... I always bring a girlfriend
along too
Final quote or words of wisdom?
I think the time has come for this town to become more
progressive (with technology and our policies), we need to be careful in having
his happen in a way that benefits the community. Make sure the progression benefits the haves
and the have not's. We are a mixed society in San Leandro, we need to keep
that.
